In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele's aggressive crackdown on violent crime, supported by 90%+ of the population, has sparked a complex debate on its impact on democracy and public safety. Critics argue that the mass arrests of tens of thousands without legal recourse and the militarization of public safety, described as iron-fist policies, undermine the nation's young democracy and fail to address root causes like corruption and impunity. Supporters, however, highlight the popular support for Bukele's policies, citing improved safety and a significant reduction in crime rates. The situation presents a paradox of punitive populism where punitive populism gains traction despite potential risks to liberal democratic values.
"Corruption and impunity are the key obstacles to public safety," allowing gangs to "elude prison or run criminal enterprises from behind bars because police, judges, and prison wardens are complicit." Bukele's crackdown leaves those problems unaddressed. https://t.co/chO3if47GJ
“Militarized states of emergency are no substitute for a long-term public safety strategy.” Read @Gustavo_F_M on the so-called Bukele model for combating organized crime—and the consequences of El Salvador’s militarization of public safety: https://t.co/SqtTsiXhMW
People of El Salvador: vote in a landslide to re-elect a president who arrests violent criminals Ivy League professor 3,400 miles away: "as appealing as a Bukele-style crackdown might seem, these punitive campaigns against organized crime come at a serious cost to democracy" https://t.co/Di80BmhSVN
If true, the appropriate response is “fine, f*** democracy.” Of course, it’s not true. W/the support of 90%+ of the population, El Salvador is far more democratic than the US: the people have the government they want, something Americans haven’t been able to say in living memory. https://t.co/1AEYe8j5VL
If true, the appropriate response is “fine, f*** democracy.” Of course, it’s not true. W/the support of 90% of the population, El Salvador is far more democratic than the US: the people have the government they want, something Americans haven’t been able to say in living memory. https://t.co/1AEYe8j5VL
VERBATIM FROM THE ARTICLE: “The result is a paradox of punitive populism, in which democratically elected leaders with broad anticrime mandates undermine liberal democracy by adopting iron-fist policies that are not only popular but can also be effective. Iron-fist policies are… https://t.co/5OE3uvhnTz
Order is not in tension with democracy and human rights; it is the prerequisite. Bit strange to worry about the legalism of proceedings against gangmembers in #El_Salvador, when the population tells anyone who will listen it is ecstatic at being able to walk in the street safely. https://t.co/2boMN3AZAf
Bukele’s crackdown "has incurred an equally sizable...cost to El Salvador’s democracy." With the mass arrests of tens of thousands of people who lack legal recourse," many Salvadorans now live "in fear of arbitrary imprisonment." https://t.co/chO3if47GJ
“The price of a no-holds-barred war on violent crime is too steep for Latin America, where democracies are still relatively young and fragile and where the rule of law is already elusive.” https://t.co/QozKc40LIG